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He smiled to himself as he saw how relaxed she was, her eyes sparkling as she watched the drama on the stage. The story of Vasilisa was a favorite in Russian folklore, and the writers, and actors had come together to put on a creative and spectacular performance.

The story centered around the daughter of a widowed merchant. Her mother had passed when she was a child, leaving behind a doll for her daughter. On her deathbed, the woman told Vasilisa that should she ever be in need, she should leave the doll some food and drink. When the woman died, the doll comforted Vasilisa after getting some bread and goat's milk, coming to life in the form of a particularly limber midget that did backflips across the stage. Arkady grinned to himself.

After a time, the merchant remarried, bringing home not only a new mother but two sisters for Vasilisa. She was sweet and charming to her husband and guests, but as one might expect of fairy tales, she was cruel to Vasilisa, besetting her with convoluted chores and impossible tasks.

The stepsisters were also cruel, but Vasilisa had her doll to comfort her and help her, albeit only when no others were watching. Infuriated at her stepdaughter's apparent ease at what should have been impossible, the stepmother also rejected all suitors who sought Vasilisa's hand, foisting her own homely daughters upon the would-be grooms.

This scene was performed with such comedy that Nadezsha laughed quietly, and Vassily chuckled while his wife tittered. Arkady smiled as he rubbed his thumb along Nadezsha's arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

One day, the merchant had to embark on a journey. News came that he died, and needing to support the family, the stepmother sold what remained of her husband's goods and moved them to a gloomy house by the forest.

The fires in the house burned out while Vasilisa had been gathering wood and berries, and the sisters had been too lazy to tend to them during her absence, so Vasilisa came back to a cold and dark house. Angrily, the stepmother told her that this was her fault and she needed to go into the forest and bring home fire.

Vasilisa left the house with a lamp, her doll, and a bit of food. The doll advised her to go find Baba Yaga, and led her safely through the woods. He led her to water and berries, and bade her to sleep on a bed of moss. Near dawn, he woke her up, and off they went. A mysterious man clad in white rode past them on a white steed - although the horse in the play was an artful facsimile - and after a shimmering red disc rose in the background, denoting morning, another man rode past her, this one clad in red atop a fiery steed. By the time she found Baba Yaga's house, it was near dark, and a third horseman rode by, clad in all black.

The house stood on chicken legs and was fenced with human bones. As weary as she was after the day-long trek after a house that moved about, she still jumped back dramatically when the eyes of the skills glowed, and Baba Yaga came out in her flying mortar and pestle.

After hearing the girl's humble plea, Baba Yaga consented to let her take some fire in exchange for chores. She had to clean the house, do the witch's laundry, and cook her a meal. All were simple enough for a girl used to doing these things at home, but Baba Yaga came up with more difficult tasks and bade her to have them complete before the next nightfall.

Vasilisa had to separate grains of rotten corn from sound ones, and separate poppy seeds from pieces of soil. An ordinary girl would have despaired, but Vasilisa had her doll, and fed it as soon as Baba Yaga left for the day.

The three riders rode past in quick succession, and Baba Yaga returned to find her house spotless and all tasks accomplished and set aside neatly.

To reward the girl for her work, the witch permitted Vasilisa to ask her questions. Vasilisa inquired of the riders, and learned that they were Day, the Sun, and Night.

In turn, Baba Yaga had her own question to ask, as she was curious about the girl's